Zachary’s by the Lake, Lakeview

Zachary’s by the Lake recently changed management and head chef. With a reworked menu, it appears to be in great hands. The menu has a balance of classic seafood/grill with some interesting items to boot. I visited on a day where they had boiled crawfish available, which proved to be a great meal.

Quality

The boiled crawfish were very large. I’m not certain who they get their seafood from, but whoever caught these knows where the mutant crawfish live. With huge claws and large tails, the three pound offering of boiled crawfish would have been enough to fill me had I not been splitting my portion. The batch we had had a great amount of flavor and that perfect spot of not too spicy but has some heat to it.

Look at these monsters!

In addition, I ordered the Reuben Spring Rolls, which is essentially a Reuben sandwich in an egg roll instead of bread. The roll was really crunchy, and when dipped into thousand island dressing, tastes just like a bite of sandwich, but with the feel of eating the Chinese finger food. This is a great appetizer to split between two people.

I also tried the Crab Remoulade Grilled Cheese sandwich. This is more of a “loaded” grilled cheese – prepared with crab meat and remoulade sauce in addition to the standard ingredients. This struck a perfect blend of the theme of the restaurant – grill and seafood. Very delicious.

Value

The boiled crawfish was fairly priced – $9.95 for 3lbs. This appears to be a weekly special held during the crawfish season. The menu is priced well – you get the right amount of food, so you leave filled and not having to lug around a to-go box.

Seating

The main seating area is large enough to handle larger parties. That being said, the best seats are on the deck when the weather is habitable, which it normally is that close to the lake. Outdoor seating is also covered, so it’s great if you like the rain.

Lagniappe

The new management is also looking to make live music a staple at the venue. Refer to their website for listings. In addition, there’s a full bar with plenty of seating and friendly bartenders – not a bad way to watch a game.

Suggestions

Zachary’s is a great place for a variety of occasions – brunch, drinking, eating with few or many friends. The menu has a lot of different choices, and the boiled crawfish special is great on a Friday or Sunday. Great direction by the new management.

Rating

4.75 / 5

Website

Average rating: 3.5 / 5